This course fulfills requirements for the following specialization(s):

International Affairs

Natural Resources and the Environment

Description: This Congressional Research Service-funded research project entails a systematic comparison and assessment of transportation capacities of selected nations in terms of fuel economy, emission standards, and related transport activities that affect climate change. Transportation is one of the main economic sectors worldwide that emit greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. The need for such an analysis is driven by both domestic and international public policy initiatives intended to address concerns over global warming.

The purpose of the PRP is to collect relevant data and conduct analyses on the comparative efficiency of countries in moving people and goods from one place to another. The expectation is that the research project will allow the development of public policies to improve transport efficiency so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of transportation.

The research project intends to provide answers for the following questions:

How do countries compare in terms of the relative efficiencies of various transportation modes (railroads, airlines, trucks, maritime transport, and mass transit)?;

Are there countries with particularly high levels of mobility, but low fuel consumption and/or emissions? If so, what policies have those countries employed that could be used in the United States?

Are there pairs or groups of countries with similar mobility profiles, but significantly different emissions or consumption?;

Do national policies on climate change/greenhouse gases drive reductions in consumption or emissions? Or do policies simply reflect business-as-usual practices?;

What technological fixes for their transport sector are being pursued by different nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? (e.g., alternative fuels or alternative engines);

What infrastructure policies are being pursued? (e.g., public transport alternatives)

To be useful to the current legislative debate, the analysis will include the top-20 greenhouse gas emitting nations: the United States, China, Russian Federation, India, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, France, Indonesia, Australia, Ukraine, Iran, South Africa, Spain, and Poland (in descending order of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2000).